Barry M Sunset Gel Daylight Curing Range: Do it Like a Nude

Morning!

Any one else absolutely love Barry M? Always a fail safe purchase for me and I love being able to go to a shop, pick up some new nail colours and still have some pennies left over.

I'm a bit later to the party with their Sunset Daylight Curing polishes, I picked up two nude-ish colours and the first one I've used is 'Do It Like a Nude' - cannot stop singing Jessie J whenever I see this!

You use these nail polishes just the same as any other, however the top coat has to be the Sunset Daylight Curing TopCoat. Don't make the same mistake as me and forget to pick this up...oops!

I used my normal Essie base coat and then applied two coats of Do It Like a Nude, before applying the topcoat.
The coats of the nail varnish need to be thin, I kind of ignored this but it is definitely worth noting. The first time I used these polishes I was in a rush so was a little heavy handed - I got it half on my fingers and half on the nail, that's the kind of rush!

Second time round I did use thinner coats and it was much better. I would say that they weren't 100% opaque so you could see some brush strokes and nail colour underneath but they weren't too bad and were only noticeable if you looked closely, maybe three thing coats would be required if you want full opacity.

I was pretty impressed with how long they lasted, my nails chip easily at work and these did last the week very well.
I'm planning on using this on the hen weekend I'm currently on because I don't have the time nor the baggage allowance to take any with me, it will have to last the four days so fingers crossed it will!

These polishes come in at a bargain £4.99 and can usually be found on offer in Boots or Superdrug which is very handy!

There are 16 colours in all and I'm a big fan of the nudes so far, perhaps I will have to pick up some pinks, oranges and red too!

Have you tried the Sunset Gel range before? What's your favourite colours??

L xxx

Urban Decay Revolution Sheer Lipstick in Liar

Morning all!

I have a lovely quiet weekend planned, as a single girl Valentine's Day isn't high on my priorities so I will be spending my weekend catching up with everything I need to. I have so much to do and am really looking forward to doing everything I want to, and probably continuing pancake day well into the weekend too!

Without further ado, let's get onto the main reason for the post: Urban Decay Revolution Sheer Lipstick in Liar.

I tried this lipstick after receiving a tester sachet when repurchasing my favourite liquid liner from UD. I think these testers are awesome, they give you such a great opportunity to try new colours and see if you like them or not.
On this occasion I have only tried the one so far but it's having a 100% success rate - I've bought it!

The Revolution Lipsticks are defined by UD as 'Creamy, Badass Luxury' and I would have to agree. The packaging is badass and the range of colours are too, the lipstick is super luxurious and leaves your lips covered with pigment and hydrated.
Their Pigment Infusion System helps to deliver the super colours they have available, and in this range there are 20 - I want (NEED) them all!

The composition of the lipsticks includes jojoba oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter and shea butter and it shows, they barely touch your lips and the colour is there without any effort. This also stops your lips from drying out and the colour lasts so much longer.

So what colour is Liar? It's a pinky-brown nude, its very warm in colour and has a creamy and luminous finish.

It's really wearable and is perfect for work, weekends and anything in between. I've been wearing it a lot and it seems to work for every occasion. You can see it on me in the images below:

I really like the finish, it's polished and has a good sheen but it looks natural. I feel like it warms my face up too and is so easy to slick on it and lasts so well that I find myself using it often.

So what do you think? Have you seen Liar, have you tried it?

What do you think of Urban Decay;s Revolution lipsticks?

I've been really impressed with the colour range, the pigmentation and the lasting power. You can pick up one of these lipsticks for £15.50, which is a pretty good deal I think!

L xxx

Urban Decay: Gwen Stefani Palette

Hello all!

We're sure you've heard the hype around this fabulous pallete, and really what isn't to get excited about?!

Urban Decay never fail to produce top quality products, the pigmentation cannot be equalled and their limited edition palettes are always even better. Knowing that this release was with Gwen Stefani was even better! I've loved her style for so long, even with her sometimes quirky outfits she always has flawless make up.

After buying a house and keeping every spare penny for furniture and paint, this was the best news and finally a big enough reason to break into the piggy bank - this release made me EXCITED.

As soon as I saw the packaging I knew I had to have it, the contents at this point hadn't even crossed my mind. I love monochrome and gold metallics so the colours were perfect for me. Even though Gwen Stefani is known for being part of the Punk music scene she's always stayed pretty classic at the same time. I love it.

The colour range of the eyeshadows is also spot on. There are so many beautiful neutral shades to create so many looks with finishes from matte, frost and shimmer. 

As for the colours, here's the rundown:

Blonde is described as a “pale beige with pink iridescent shift.
Bathwater is described as a “pale beige with gold pearl.
Skimp is described as a “pale nude satin
Steady is described as a “medium rose with metallic gold shift
Punk is described as a “reddish brown matte
Baby is described as a “cool metallic rose
Anaheim is described as a “light taupe-brown matte
Stark is described as a “nude-pink matte
Zone is described as a “medium brown matte
Serious is described as a “smoky gray with iridescent floating pearl
Pop is described as a “pale coral with iridescent sparkle
Harajuku is described as a “metallic blue-pink with iridescent micro-shimmer
Danger is described as a “deep metallic royal blue with blue micro-sparkle
1987 is described as a “bright metallic yellow-gold
Blackout is described as a “blackest black matte

I'm finding it hard to say which colour is my favourite as I genuinely think all of the top 2 rows are perfection in a palette. Blonde, Anaheim, Punk and Serious have special mentions though! Love these eeeeeeeeeeeeeevery day!

The surprise in the palette is the gold (called 1987), I was super impressed as it is beautiful and so pigmented. I have so far only used this dry as a liner but I would really love to use a wet brush and try it then as I imagine the pigmentation would be so much more vibrant. 

I'm not sure what I think about Harajuku but I'm willing to give it a try, and Blackout is a staple in anyone's life - it's just a must and the blackest of black eye shadows. I was very excited by Pop and Danger, but sadly these both had quite a lot of fallout. Pop barely made it onto my eyelid so I think some serious primer is going to be necessary. Danger is a wonderful colour but half of it ended up on my cheeks, and I only noticed when it smudged across my face in work and I looked ridiculous!

All of that being said, it's a beautiful and perfect palette that everyone needs. It comes in at £40 but is limited edition and worth every penny. My only downsides are the fallout from Pop and Danger, and I'm a little disappointed there isn't a brush or an eyeliner included like many other palettes.

In fact, although I'm excited for the lip products maybe they should consider an eyeliner collection too, how much does everyone want the perfect liner that Gwen always seems to get right??

Think about UD, it would fly off the shelves even faster than the palette!

What do you think of the palette? Are the colours perfect for you?


L xxx

Hey All

As L and I went to John Lewis Urban Decay counter to see this palette I was sure I wouldn't buy it. I didn't need another palette and after recently moving in with C I couldn't really afford it. As we arrived Kate did my eye make up for me using it and I was instantly sold. In my slightly hungover state I had absolutely no willpower I think knowing it was Limited edition made me want it more.

As L has said the packaging is amazing!! It has a huge mirror with a cute quote in the corner of the mirror which you can see below. The packaging is apparently inspired by some art Gwen has in her house!

The colours in the palette are what made it hardest for me to resist. It's full of mostly wearable colours and the prettiest nudes! Anaheim is one I was instantly drawn to, it's a perfect crease colour and would probably make a great brow colour too. It has a really great mixture of shimmer and matte shades and all of them have the quality you'd expect from UD, there is some fallout with some shades especially Danger but if I'm going all out with make up I tend to do my eye's pre foundation anyway as it makes clean up easier!

Danger is another shadow that made me buy this palette! What an amazing shade of blue. I did a smokey eye using it for last weekend and it just looked amazing (even if I do say so myself ha!). I keep reaching for this at the moment and it's making me feel inspired to play with make up again. If I'm honest Harajuku probably won't get used but I need to play around more and see if I can find a way to use it. Lastly worthy of an honourable mention is Baby. When I swatched it in store it was love, such a pretty everyday shimmer with a hint of worth. It looks great as a lid shade especially with Anaheim through the crease.

As a bonus with the palette you get a preview and sample of the lipsticks that will be released next year. How beautiful is that packaging going to be!!! I love all the four sample colours and will definitely be testing these out. I like that you get a to test out the different formulations of the lipsticks too. I'm intrigued by 714 as it's a mega matte! And let's face it, I have high expectations for the Red lipstick if it's been done in collaboration with Gwen Stefani.

It retails for £40 but the eyeshadow pans are a decent size and almost the same size as a Mac eyeshadow pan! This is one you won't regret.

Have you picked it up yet?

Love M

xxx

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Polish - Lychee

Morning!

Today's review is a well known nail polish from Barry M. The Gelly range has been hyped about a lot due to its Hi Shine finish and the impressive range of colours.

Lychee has been raved about by almost every single person - and I'm about to join the list!

Lychee is pale taupe kind of nude, it's absolutely perfect for so many occasions. It's the perfect every day colour but also still looks pretty chic when out with friends on the weekend.

A lot of the other colours in the range are pastels and this is the nude version. It comes in at a perfectly acceptable £3.99 and I have always said that Barry M prices are awesome for the quality of the products.

The colour is perfect and although I do have a few issues with the small brush inside the bottle (I'm sure my other polishes don't have a brush this thin?!) which makes application a little difficult.

I applied 2 coats and it was mostly opaque but there were a few streaks, probably made more apparent by the brush.

I also found that the colour slightly discoloured after a week or so of wear, with a top coat it did last really well and normally I wouldn't leave it as long as this but it did weirdly get lighter as it began the chip off.

Having said all that I still love it and would recommend it!

Do you love Barry M too? What new polishes have you been buying from them? Which other Gelly polishes would you recommend?

L xxx

The Balm Nude Tude Palette

Hey All

I’m a little bit late posting today but the last few weeks have been hectic. A night out on Saturday and a horrific hangover yesterday meant I’m only now feeling ok. This little beauty I couldn't help picking up on the plane on the way to Iceland. I ended up paying around £16 for it as there was a special deal for £5 off the already duty free price.

I’d heard so much about The Balm I couldn't wait to finally try some products myself. I’m still tempted by Mary Lou minizer but it’s gold appearance puts me off.

The nude tude palette comes with 12 different eyeshadows and they are just under a gram each so you get a decent amount of product.  There are a good variety of colours meaning you can use it for everyday where or to create a smokey eye. It comes with a brush and a primer. The primer I’m yet to try but I am a bit disappointed with the brush. I think quality wise I’m comparing it to the one’s you get in the urban decay palettes which is it nowhere near as good as.

The palette is in a firm cardboard coating and seems to be lasting well so far and has a large mirror so it’s perfect for the days I do my make up on the bus. It closes by a magnet which seems secure. I have the naughty version of the palette so it’s women with the eyeshadows covering parts. I love the cheekiness and the fun designs of The Balm products.

Sassy is a bright shimmery white. For me this will only ever be an inner corner shadow but for that it looks amazing.

Snobby is a soft gold shimmer. Perfect for all over the lid.

Stubborn is a slightly pink tone soft shimmer. This looks great all over the lid and comes out less pink on my skin tone than it appears in pan.

Stand-offish is one of my favourite colours in the palette. It’s a nude very shimmery colour. This looks great all over the lid.

Selfish is a shimmery taupe colour. This looks great for the out v for a light day time smokey eye.

Sultry is a warm matte brown. I love blending this through the crease but sometimes it can go too yellow when blended out.

Sophisticated is dark brown shimmer colour. I love this for in the outer V.

Seductive is a warmer  gold toned brown still with shimmer.

Sexy is a cranberry matte shade. This is one of my favourites and gets a lot of use. I love blending this through the outer edge of a defined crease to warm up a smokey eye. It blends really well.

Silly is a warm medium brown with a goldish shimmer.

Serious is a great matte black. In pan is has some gold glitter.

Sleek is a dark warm matte brown.

I found all the shadows really easy to work with and blend well. I always use a primer for my eyes but have show swatches with and without. The lighter colours haven’t shown up aswell without but do still on the eye better. Overall I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the products and they last all day.

Here’s some looks I’ve created using the palette. I love that you can make warm brown looks but there are colours for cooler looks too.

Here I have seductive all over the lid and silly blended through the outer V. I also have used sultry to define the cream prior to using seductive.

Here I have sexy and serious blended through the crease.

Have you use any of The Balm products?

Love M

xxx

Essie Manicure

Essie is without a doubt the number one nail polish brand for nudes; you only have to spend one second in front of a stand to know that with the copious display of bottles.

I've previously posted about a few polishes and compared the likes of Ballet Slippers, Fiji and Sand Tropez (you can read this here)

Almost all three of these bottle are now coming to an end so with the 3 for 2 offer on in Boots I restocked my base and top coats and snapped up a new nude to try: Mademoiselle.

I've never tried the First Base base coat from Essie so I was interested to see how the green/blue coloured polish would fare in comparison to others I've used that are cheaper.

It contains a rubber adhesive to help bond polish to the nail surfaces creating a smooth base for application, helps resist chipping and against stains created by some stronger colours.

I always try and use a base to help against staining, there's nothing worse than weirdly coloured nails that look unhealthy when actually it's just an orange toned red polish that is the culprit!

The base applied easily as expected with any Essie polish, the brush seems to fit my nail perfectly so I can just swipe it from base to tip and not manage to get too much all over my fingers.

It dried really fast and left a clear base with a good finish for colour application.

So Mademoiselle is a sheer light pink, its like the sheerness of Ballet Slippers with the colour of Fiji.

I wasn't sure what colour this was going to turn out as, I can never tell but I couldn't test on my own nails as I'd just done them in a dark red and the name sounded familiar. Next time I buy one I will have to investigate further! Not that this colour isn't lovely but I have something similar already and would probably prefer something that doesn't require 4 coats for a more opaque finish.

The photo above shows Mademoiselle after 2 coats. It doesn't quite cover the tips of the nails so you can see how translucent it is; I don't like my nails to look white but I do like the colour to show up.

I don't think I'm a sheer polish kind of person however at work nail polish seems to be a no no, especially as my new job requires lots of hands on work with spanners - no joke.

Four coats seem to have done the trick and this is a much better colour for me. I've actually really liked wearing such a sheer colour on my nails this week and it seems to have been a welcome change for me.

As always Essie polishes are top notch in application and quality and the top coat is one of my favourites. The combination of all three polishes seem to have created a rock hard manicure that hasn't budged whatsoever, even with all my new found spanner and screwdriver skills. 

This is definitely a colour I would recommend for those who love all nudes and sheer finishes. I'm sure I'll pick up more in future, Essie is just too irresistible!

What's your favourite Essie polish? Do you prefer sheer or opaque polishes?

L xxx

Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Palette

There's not a lot to say in this post because to be perfectly honest, just look at these bad boys.

LOOK AT THEM

The packaging itself is amazing as it is and when I randomly went to buy something from the Urban Decay counter and was shown these I promptly put my name down for them when they were allowed to sell them.
How on earth had this amazing collaboration escaped my notice??

I'm a huge Tarantino fan, its something that me and my brother actually agree on and having bought him the box set many years ago i still steal them now. 

The orange and red writing stands out on the black box and it all looks so striking I'm surprised I didn't snap up the entire collection. But having put my name down for the palette, the only product they were allowed to reserve and the others being sold on a first come first serve basis I legged it into Cardiff on the morning and snapped up the lipstick and liner to match. Oops!

Here's a sneak peek of what's to come, I do love it when they show a swatch of the colours inside and give their names. Names always make things better don't they??

Here's a close up of the text:

Inside is the card I always look forward to reading when purchasing a limited edition palette from UD. The tips and tricks are always good to follow and give you an idea what they colours were there for; if only for you to totally break the rules and do your own thing anyway/

Be Cool Honey Bunny.

The attention to detail, as always, with these collaboration products always astounds me but this time I've been completely blown away.
My brother loves the quote below and even he was slightly impressed with how cool it all was (and as a mixed martial arts fan make up REALLY isn't his thing).

I really did just marvel at it for a while before even opening it, the packaging was just too special. I'm not sure I could have designed it better myself, although the paper packaging does worry me for long term usage but only time will tell what that will be like.

I always love the inclusion of a mirror with these products, it's a lovely touch and means it's a lot easier to use them on the go and travel with them.

Here are the four shades with accompanying names and brush. I'm not sure what I think about the brush to be honest, the quality was better than i thought it would be from first glance but I still find them too small to be of any use. I'm sure I'll be grateful for it when using the palette on the go though and for touch ups it should come in handy.

Righteous was the main reason for me buying this palette. As a firm Theodora palette fan ( I use it EVERY DAY without fail) which was also limited edition I was beginning to get worried after hitting pan on the lightest colour called Broken. It's the perfect colour for me and after telling the lovely Haddie on the counter in the Cardiff store she showed me these.

It's not a perfect match but it will certainly fill the gap in the 'limited edition' section of my collection. Or something like that.

Righteous can be described as a light cream colour and is matte.

In fact all of these colours are quite similar to the Theodora palette and so that was how I justified it to myself really, as I know that I should use all of the colours in it almost every day.

Tyranny is a lovely warm brown and is very pigmented and also matte. I didn't think I'd like this one on me but again I was surprised and it blends with so much so easily.

Vengeance is a colour I love, described by Temptalia as a deep taupe brown matte satin, which is quite a mouthful really. The colour is amazing and similar to Theodora's Bewitch, though you need so little I'd be surprised if this ever runs out!

Furious and Anger is the only duo colour. Furious is similar to Venus from the Naked Basics palette and Anger is similar to Crave but has a slight shimmer added as they are both satin shades. 

I've been using Furious on the inner corner of my eye and Anger to line the outer corners and they've both worked really well.

Here are swatches:

You can see Righteous is a little less pigmented than the others, this was a little disappointing as it was the colour I was most excited about but nevertheless I'll just have to use more!

Furious can be seen below, a lovely white satin colour:

Swatched on the back of my hand you can see the colours a little better, But how does it look on the eye itself??

Below shows Righteous and Tyranny on the eye (left) and Vengeance in the right picture.

Above shows Furious and Anger applied also. Its extremely wearable for a limited edition palette and this surprises me as well as lots of other reviews I've read online.


I can see me wearing this a lot and I've already been wearing it to many outings; see below for a recent picture with the Mia Wallace liner and lipstick on also:

The longevity of the lipstick is phenomenal, but that's for another post.

What do you think of limited edition collaborations? Are you a Pulp Fiction fan?

Would you snap up the eyeshadow palette or another product in the range?

L xxx